Greetings in the Name that is above all others. 

Not much has changed since last time...you are all there and I am still here.  Part of me regrets not being there for the fellowship and seeing firsthand just how fat and bald you are.  I regret not seeing your children and spouses and hearing of the epic journey that life has taken you through so far - of your accomplishments, your victories won and battles lost.  I regret not getting to wonder if that is really your car, your hair, your breasts.

On the other hand, I know that I am where I am supposed to be, here in Snellville, GA  "Where everybody is somebody".  Last night while you were trying to remember each other's names, my twelve year old (John Carson) and I were in the stands at South Gwinnett High School cheering for my seven year old (Brette) and sixteen year old (Sarah), both of whom performed on the field for the conclusion of Cheerleading Camp, which my wife Jahn helped coach.  Hey, I have to live with them, not you. 

There certainly were other reasons that I am here rather than there, but none worth mentioning.  Some of you might come to the logical conclusion that I am not there because I simply do not care enough about you to make it a priority.  Let me assure you that nothing could be farther from the truth.

God placed each of us together for a season, and He did it for a reason.  Some of us developed relationships that have bound us together through time and space, others have drifted apart into this oblivion we call life, but we all took a small part of each other with us when we left Savannah Christian.

Some of you remember me as a wild and crazy guy that loved life and loved people (especially girls).  I'm still crazy, but not quite as wild.  I can only assume that God makes people like me to prove that he really does have a sense of humor. The grades on my report cards were always good, but the teachers' notes told the story: "Lots of potential, finds it difficult to remain focused."

So I set out to prove them wrong and fulfill my potential, reach for the stars... but so far I have found it very difficult to remain focused!

Nevertheless God made you and me just the way we are, and He will use us just as we are if we will only let Him.  God has blessed me in spite of my best efforts to ignore Him, and it took me far too long to understand that you and I will never realize our full potential until we begin to earnestly seek it in Christ and through Christ. 

How can we fulfill our purpose here if we don't consult with the hand that sculpted us?  We were made to be His tools, and only He knows how we are best used.

I wrote this note to avoid the only true regret that I have in not being there with you tonight: the chance to testify of God's awesome love, of how He has transformed my heart into a vessel, my life into a ministry, and my frustration into joy. 

Please accept our gratitude, well wishes, condolences, sympathies, congratulations and especially our love from Snellville.

Peace and Abundant Blessings,

John M. Burgstiner